The Irish standard., 1887-08-20

43SsS~sA~s ~ss~S- p~shhA
guages spoken by our people. Topreach
to them all in English would be in most
numerous cases to speak to them in an
uninte)ligible language and to leave
them without religious instruction. But
| Americans should know the fact that
while minlstering to present needs the
Church does nothing and allows nothing
to be done in her name to make perma-
nent in America a transient and abnor-
NAL condition of things The late
Plenary Council of Baltimore, in which
sat several bishops Of German origin,
the late Provisional Council of MiIwau.
kee, of which all the members with one
exception, were of German origin, Or
dained that children of foreign-born
parents learn the catechism in English
as we'll as their mother tongue. Recent
legislation from the Roman Pontiff
makes the intention of the Church in
this whole matter very clear. 1t implied
lyexhorts the bishops of America to pro.
vide for immigrants, religious instruc-
tion in their mother tongue, but beyond
this puts aside all attempts to con6ne
those immigrants or their children to the
use of foreign language further than
the needs Of the case strictly demand.
or to impose upon the Church in America
a of foreign character or q foreign tone.
The whole spirit Of the Catholic church
is that Catholics, adhering strictly in
religion to Catholic unity, be in all le-
gitimate matters most loyal subjects OF
the several countries in which they live,
and, consequently, Americans in
America. The Church in America, in
all her human appointments, is not
German, nor Irish, nor French, nor
Polish, nor Italian. it is American.
Her own principles permit her to be
nothing else. An Irish, or a German,
or a foreign church Of any kind has no
business to lmplant itself in America,
and Americans would owe it to their
country 20 raise their hand against an
invader OF this nature, and to ward it
off their shores. Iu promoting clergy
men to responsible positions in America.
the Holy See and its counsellors ',ave in
view, not the birthplace, nor the race
of q man, but his fitness, moral and i'll
teliectual, for the place. In the Ameri.
can hierarchy there are bishops of
various nationalities native Ameri-
cans, Irish, Germans, Belgians. Holland
ers, Spanish. In some dioceses where
German Catholics are but small mi
nority, as in the Nashville and Newark
dioceses, the bishops are Of German
descent; in other dioceses. where the
Germans are numerous, the bishops are
Of another nationality. Did we for once
look upon nationality as a test, it were
ali over with harmony among us, as it
is not the Irish and Germans merely that
we should have to satisfy, but the Poles,
the French, the Bohemians. Very
naturally, in an Eng]ish-speaking
country, as America. the bishops, whose
mother tongue is English, are more
numerous than others, although in some
states, as in Wisconsin and Michigan, it
happens that all the bishops are Of Ger
man origin or descent, 1t is to be ex-
pected that individuals among Catho-
lies of all nationalities putting their
private liking before 5he general good
and the general harmony of the Church,
would express dissatisf action, when
tlleiy own national element is not in the
front rank. I have no doubt that there
are some Irishmen who think that home
rule and Irish land laws should be trea-
ted frequently in Catholic pulpits in
Am erica. But we haveto remind them
that they
ARE NOT IN IRELAND,
and thae if they desire ali Irish vasture
to their Sunday obseryances they must
recross the Il Atlantic. I'm the same man
ner there are individual Germans who
demand that every bishopin America be
German, who think that a cathedral
pulpit is d,sgraced if pure AngIo-Saxon
language flows from the lips Of its occ11-
rant. But such Germans we remand
to the banks Of the Rhine and the
Danube. OF this latter stripe Of Ger